Vehicle direction-indicator.



W. E. LEMP 6L E. K. McQUILLEN.

VEHICLE DIRECTION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 2a, 1916;

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Patented Dec. 1

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casing and .and others the direction in -hicle intends or desires to go,

inrr ans 1 WILLIAM E. LEM]? AND EDWARD KEYLAND MCQUILLEN, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

VEHICLE DIRECTION-INDICATOR.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM and EDWARD KEYLAND MGQUILLEN, of the United States of dents of Mobile, county of Mobile, State of Alabama, have invented certain new an useful Improvements in Vehicle Direction- Indicators, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple device of the headlight type which will not only serve as a headlight, but which may be operated to indicate to traffic ofiicers which the veas more fully E. LEM? citizens hereinafter set forth.

Tn thedrawings Figural is a front elevat-ion, partly broken away, of a device embodying our invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof ;'Fig. 3 is a front elevation of amodified embodiment of the de vice; and Fig. 4 is a-vertical sectional View of the device shown. in Fig. 3.

In the drawing, a designates a' casing in closing a suitable illuminating device I), this device being preferably one or more electric lamps. The rear wall of this casing is concaved interiorly and is suitably brightened to thus convert it into a reflecting surface. The front wall of the casing is preferably in the form of a door hinged at c to one of the verticalwalls of the casing. The lower part (Z of this door is opaque and the upper part a is transparent and the illuminating device is desirably arranged immediately back of the transparent panel 6. Resting gravitationally in the chamber formed behind the opaque wall is a pair of sign panels f which, when in their lowered position, are hidden behind the opaque panel d. Each of these sign panels is provided with transparent lettering indicating right or left, the lettering on one being preferably red in color and the other being preferably green, so that when one or the other panel is raised to a point opposite the transparent panel 6 the direction in which the vehicle intends going. will be indicated to a person in front of the vehicle. "When neither-panel f is raised, it will be understood that the vehicle is going straight ahead.

To raise the panels f and hold them tem porarily in position behind the transparent panel a, we employ a pair of solenoids 9, one being fixed to the top of the headlight the other one dependingfrom Specification of Letters Yatent.

Application filed February 28,

America, and resiarrange the circuits Patented Dec. t2, 1911b.

1916. Serial No. 80,882.

the bottom thereof. The core rod h of each of these solenoids is connected to one of the sign panels midway between the ends of the panel, so that when either solenoid is energized its core will be drawn into the solenoid and thus raise the sign panel into operative position and hold it there so long as the-solenoid remains energized. When the solenoids are deenergized, the panels f return by gravity to their inoperative position behind the opaque wall (Z. The core attached to each plate cooperates with its associated solenoid to maintain the plate in a vertical position at all times and it will be observed that by the employment of a single core connected to each plate midway between the ends of the plate and mounting the corresponding solenoid outside the casing, I produce an inexpensive and ornamental headlight, having a casing of minimum size, and in which the lifting, guiding and supporting devices for the plates are reduced to a minimum number of parts and do not materially interfere with theprojection of the light rays. Any suitable circuit arrangement may be employed for energizing the solenoids, but in all cases it will. be understood that the circuitswill be so arranged that the solenoids may be operated separately and not together. We prefer to so that they may be closed by two push buttons arranged in such position on the vehicle, that the chauffeur may conveniently operate either push button with his foot and thus avoid removing his hands from the steering wheel. Current for energizing the solenoids may be taken from 'the battery carried on the motor vehicle.

A feature f importance in our device lies in the fact that the sign panels are held in operation only so long as the current is on, the breaking of the circuit alone being sufficient to cause the sign panel to return to inoperative position. "We have not illustrated any wiring arrangement, as it will be obvious that this forms no part of our invention, since the electric conductors may bear-ranged in a great variety of'ways without departing from our invention.

It will be observed that tant feature lies in the fact that, when the panels are in their normally inoperative position, the cores are almost entirely outside-of the coils, the lower core depending below the lower coil, so that, when they are brought into operative position, the cores another imporwill extend their full length within the coils and will therefore be sustained by the full electro-mag-netic force of the coils. This arrangement permits us to operate the panels headlight in addition to an illuminated device for the direction-panels. T.. .s arran'gement also provides for utilizing the entire upper part of the casing for exhibiting the panels, the panels when in operative position covering the entire light-emitting opening in the face of the casing. The only objection to this construction is that, when the upper solenoid is inoperative and its panel is down, its core it will extend vertically across the light-emitting part of the chamher; but this will not interfere with the operation of the headlight, especially if two lamps are employed, one at either side of the core, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 3 and 4 we illustrate a typeof device in which but a single sign panel is embodied. WVith this single form of device, it will be necessary to employ two of the headlights, one at either side of the vehicle, one being provided with a left sign and the other being provided with a right sign. This single type of device will be especially desirable where our indicating headlights are to be built into the vehicle at the factory. They are also especially desirable where it is not desired to disturb the usual central headlight on the vehicle, this central headlight being in use at present on certain public vehicles. When a single type of device is used, we prefer providing means for vertically guiding the panel in the headlight chamber; one form of such means consists of a pair of vertical wires 2' which are engaged by eyes on the upper corners of the sign panel.

Having thus described our invention,"

What we claim is:

LA signaling headlight; comprising a casing the front wall 'of which has an opaque lower panel and a transparent upper panel, a light source and a light projectin reflector in the casing directly behin the transparent panel, a pair of signal plates normally gravitationallysupported in said casing behind said opaque panel, and means for raising said plates between the transparent panel and the light source embodying a solenoid mounted on top of the casing and a solenoid depending from the bottom of'the casing, and a core connected to each plate'intel-mediate it ends and cooperating with one of the solenoids to raise the plate and to maintain it in a vertical position at all times, the lower core normally depending below the solenoid and the upper core normally depending across the transparent upper panel.

2-. A signaling headlight, comprising a casing the frontovallof which has an opaque lower panel and a transparent upper panel, alight source and a light projecting refiector in said casing, a signal plate normally gravitationally held behind the opaque panel, a solenoid depending from the center of the bottom of the casing, and. a core cooperating with the solenoid and connected with the signal plate intermediate the ends thereof for raising the plate between the trans )arent )anel and the li ht source and maintaining the plate in a vertical position at all times, said core normally depending below the solenoid so that when the signal plate is raised the core-will lie its full length within the solenoid.

3. A signaling headlight, comprising a casing having a front wall having a transparent upper panel and an opaque lower panel, a light source and a light projecting reflector in said casing directly behind the transparent panel, a signal plate normally held behind said opaque panel, a solenoid mounted on top of the casing centrally thereof, and 'a core connected at its lower end to the plate intermediate the ends thereof and cooperating with the solenoid to temporarily raise the plate between the transparent panel and the light source and to maintain the plate in a vertical position at all times.

In testimony whereof we hereunto affix our signatures this 25th day of February,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

